


Insubordination

by et_ce_fut_tout



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Les Misérables - All Media Types, Les Misérables - Victor Hugo
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Auror!Javert, Established Relationship, Gen, It's not really significant but I'm tagging it anyway, Muggle!Valjean, Romani Javert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-07
Updated: 2019-05-07
Packaged: 2020-02-27 18:11:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18744361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/et_ce_fut_tout/pseuds/et_ce_fut_tout
Summary: Javert resigns from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Chabouillet isn't being very helpful.





	Insubordination

**Author's Note:**

> This was dashed off in a few hours after writing a back-and-forth dialogue in my head. I'm considering expanding this particular AU into a series of oneshots following the Valjean-Javert family during the Second Wizarding War. I have a larger project that I'm currently focusing on, so this AU will be something that I do when I have time between my main project and Real Life (which is unfortunately very busy).
> 
> I did have a LOT of fun thinking/writing about this, and I look forward to potentially continuing it.

Two days ago, the mere thought of throwing open the door of his superior’s office with so much force that it hit the adjoining wall and slamming his resignation letter on his desk with no intention of leaving a two week notice would have filled Javert with abject horror. He would have considered himself incapable of the level of disrespect that was necessary to perform the action. But as it happened, on July the fourteenth, 1996, the appropriate occasion lead to Javert finding within himself the capacity for flagrant insubordination. 

_Thunk._

Chabouillet’s eyes traveled calmly from the parchment trapped beneath Javert’s hand, to the still-swinging door of his office, until they finally made contact with the inspector’s face. He raised an eyebrow.

“What’s this, _Inspecteur?_ ”

Javert’s jaw tightened, the parchment wrinkling under his tensed hand. “My resignation.”

Both eyebrows were lifted now. “You no longer wish to serve as an Auror?”

“That is generally what a resignation suggests.” Javert slid the parchment across the desk. “I am leaving. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause the department. As you can see, I have suggested Vidocq as my replacement.”

Javert watched as Chabouillet took the parchment, his eyes roving over the smudged lines of Javert’s hasty handwriting. Reaching the end, he carefully folded the letter, slowly turning it over in his hands. After a moment of pregnant silence, Chabouillet spoke again.

“I must say Javert, that after nearly fifteen years of honorable service, I am disappointed to find that you are a coward.”

Javert stiffened at that. “I... would remain if I could. But the circumstances - ”

“The circumstances being that The Dark Lord has returned, of course.”

“It is more than - ”

“ _Inspecteur_ , I will be honest with you.” Chabouillet looked up from the parchment to meet Javert’s hardened eyes. “I recruited you directly from Beauxbatons because I recognized your potential. You have proven that to me. And at the cusp of a second wizarding war, and the threat of the destruction of our society, I did not expect, nor do I intend, to lose one of my best Aurors.”

What would have previously sent Javert into a long and eloquent apology did not sway him now. “With all due respect, Monsieur, do you know what happened in Collioure this morning?”

Chabouillet sighed. “I do not, but I expect that you will tell me.”

“A man - a Muggle, he was a security guard at the museum there - came home from a late shift to find his house completely destroyed. Not a wall was left standing.” Javert’s voice began to shake. “The bodies of his wife and three children were so mutilated that even he could not recognize them. The youngest of them was three months old. Muggle authorities have blamed it on a gas leak, but do you know what was hanging over the house when he arrived?”

“The Dark Mark, I suppose.”

“The Dark Mark, yes. The incident in Collioure is one of _five_ reports of magical violence against Muggles that I received on my desk today. The return of the Dark Lord has escalated this violence to the point that Muggles are dying nearly every day.”

The folded letter continued to spin in Chabouillet’s hands. “I am aware of this, _Inspecteur_. I am still unsure as to why this is relevant to your resignation.”

Javert’s lips had disappeared into his mouth, the taut line of his shoulders pulling at the folds of his robes as he leaned over the desk. “I have a family.” He hissed through clenched teeth. “A husband, an eight-year-old daughter. Not a drop of magical blood between them. They will be targeted. And I will leave my position, leave the country, break my wand in _half_ , if it means that I can protect them.”

There was another long pause, and Javert’s last words hung in the air. Behind them, the hands of a clock shifted, ticking through the silence. Chabouillet coughed, and slid the piece of parchment back across the desk. Javert’s eyes followed the careful movement of his hands.

“As admirable as I find your devotion to your family, Javert, I am afraid that I cannot accept this.”

Javert blinked. “It’s a resignation. You don’t have to accept it. I mean to leave; you can’t hold me here.”

“In fact,” Chabouillet sighed. “Effective this morning, I can. And must.”

“What do you mean.” It was not a question, but rather a demand, a blunt slap that landed in the air.

“ _La ministère_ has passed a mandate: it won’t have hit the papers yet. As of today, everyone is held in their current jobs. You can’t leave, and I can’t fire you. Nor can I replace you with a new hire. The purpose is to investigate and take care of suspected Death Eaters or victims of the imperius curse… a clever plan, to be sure, but rather inconvenient for you. The borders have also been completely shut down: no current practitioner of magic can enter or leave the country. Anyone that attempts to abandon their occupation or cross the border will be immediately arrested.”

Javert, who’s posture had been previously held up by the force of his indignation, sagged. From the moment that Chabouillet had begun to speak, his face had gradually paled, his usually dark complexion the color of weak tea. 

“So there is only one way out of the country then.” Javert said, his voice barely perceptible.

“Azkaban.”

**Author's Note:**

> Important Notes:  
> \- (Paragraph 1) Lord Voldemort made his first public attack (of the Second Wizarding War) at the British Ministry of Magic in June of 1996. This fic takes places about a month later, in July. I specifically chose the fourteenth because it's the anniversary of Bastille Day, and thought that because of the holiday, Death Eater activity might be particularly pronounced. We know that wizards were involved in the French Revolution (on both sides), so the date is significant to the wizarding community as well as Muggles. https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/French_Ministry_of_Magic  
> \- (Paragraph 14-16) Collioure is a real town in France, with a very tiny population of almost 3,000. There actually is a museum there. It had a few pieces by Matisse.  
> \- (Paragraph 19) I've set this fic to happen when Cosette is eight years old. I always try to keep with everyone's ages in canon, so this means that Javert is currently 43 and Valjean is 54.  
> \- (Paragraph 29) The French Ministry of Magic's mandate was inspired by the first point of "Directive 10-289" from Ayn Rand's _Atlas Shrugged_. https://theexplanationproject.fandom.com/wiki/Directive_10-289


End file.
